More than 80 unionized cleanup workers who got sick from toxic dust they inhaled as they worked near Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11 have won a $53.8 million settlement, according to court papers made public Wednesday.

“These people were the unsung heroes of 9/11 because they cleaned up all the office buildings and allowed lower Manhattan to get back to business,” said their lawyer, Gregory Cannata.

The settlement will be paid by scores of companies that occupied or owned buildings surrounding the World Trade Center site, including Merrill Lynch, the Bank of New York and the Deutsche Bank, Cannata said.

The settlement will mean the 82 workers will each receive an average of $656,119, although the individual amounts will range from $25,000 to $1.45 million.

The range is determined by factors such as age, lost earnings and the severity of the injury.